Farm Sitting Heartbreak

All my animals are alive and as well as they were before I left which is fantastic. Unfortunately that isn’t the end of the story. 

When M came over to meet everyone I mentioned that while the entire property is fenced that there are two side that are barbed wire. Einstein has run under it, cutting his head badly in the process, and has been found on the busy road much to our annoyance. He hasn’t done it in over a month but the fact is that he could. I told her that his harness and leash would be on the kitchen table in case she felt safer putting him on it. He has a great recall which is part of the problem. If you call him over when he crosses the street he will come immediately – right through traffic. It’s the leaving when not being paid attention to that is the problem. 

As we were finishing up her mother called in a panic. Her dog had run away and was no where to be found. We hastily said goodbye so she could go help. Apparently it wasn’t uncommon as she didn’t seem overly surprised that her dog had gotten away. 

I received a text on day one asking if she could bring her dog over to play. Einstein loves to play and would be missing his day care day, so I agreed. Later that day she texted that her dog had ducked under the barbed wire and nearly got hit by a car on the road. She was losing her off leash privileges. Thankfully Einstein didn’t follow. 

All was then quiet except for some pictures she sent me and a text asking if she could have friends over for a fire in the back yard fire pit. 

That is until the last day. 

When we got off the plane in Texas and I turned my phone off airplane mode I got blasted with texts. Her dog had been off leash again and ran out in the road and was hit by a car. She was leaving the house immediately and had not fed or cleaned anything up.

I texted her that I understood and hoped it was only minor. 

By the time we got on the next flight and home she had returned to strip the bed and finish things up and her dog was being stabilized and prepared for surgery. 

Sadly, her dog passed away on Tuesday. 

It breaks my heart. She loved that dog. Yes, hindsight is 20/20 and all that but it doesn’t change the ending and only makes the loss that much worse for her. She was her best friend and now she is gone. 

For my part I feel partly responsible although I know it wasn’t my fault. I should have said no when she asked to bring her over. In the future, I’ll make it a rule that no personal animals are allowed on my property when I’m away. I know. It should have been that way any way. 

Hug your fur babies close. Make responsible choices at all times. Safety before all else. They are with us for such a short time and their entire lives are lessons to be learned. M is heartbroken and it will take a long time for her to heal. Hugs to her and rest easy puppy.